How the heart actually pumps blood - Edmond Hui
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TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
For most of history, scientists weren’t quite sure why our hearts were
beating or even what purpose they served. Eventually, we realized that
these thumping organs serve the vital task of pumping clean blood
throughout the body. But how? Edmond Hui investigates how it all works
by taking a closer look at the heart’s highly efficient ventricle
system.
As arteries carry blood away from the heart, they branch and become thinner and thinner until they become microscopic capillaries. These capillaries then join together and thicken as they become the veins that carry the blood back to the heart. The arteries have smooth walls, but the veins have valves that stop the blood from moving backwards. Why do veins need valves, when arteries don’t? What has that to do with capillaries?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Edmond Hui
- Animator Anton Bogaty
- Script Editor Emma Bryce
- Narrator Addison Anderson
